Life of Pi- Essay Blog

     In the novel, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, the character Piscine Molitor Patel, better known as Pi, is clearly a bit mad. One important aspect of Pi that makes him seem so delusional  is that he believes in many different religions. Now, this may or may not make him truly crazy, but it does play an important role in the tale. 
     In a nutshell, Pi was born into Hinduism, but keeps a Bible on his nightstand. He then became Muslim. Then, he decides he is all three religions simultaneously. Pi begins to contradict his beliefs and morals and his religious practices tend to conflict with one another. No self respecting person is that indecisive with what they believe. Pi's sporadic beliefs lead the reader to feel as though he is insane. Or is he?
      Pi wants one thing- a higher power to believe in. All three of these religions believe in a higher power. Perhaps he agrees with a little of one religion and some of another. Pi does not know yet and has not yet established his moral values. So, in trying times, a person trying out different belief systems and testing out different faiths so see which fits him the best, is that so uncommon? People all around the world question and chalenge religious beliefs and "test run", in a way, many different religions as the same time.  To many people all over the globe, Pi's religious beliefs are the same as theirs and find his religious practices completely normal. 
     Also, in the novel, faith and storytelling go hand-in-hand. Each of Pi's three religions (Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam) comes with tales to tell. All of these stories are used for teaching and painting images of the faith it represents. 
      Yann Martel displayed a great deal of imagery through Pi's many religions. Many people can relate to P's character because of his questionable beliefs. Others just say it makes him crazy. Whether Pi's belief system made him "mad" or not, it is still a major part of the book and definitely added a vast amount of interest into the novel.